Still Holding On

Chapter 1

"The Chitauri are coming," Loki says, his voice a perfect display of confidence that borders on cockiness. "Nothing will change that. What have I to fear?"

"The Avengers."

Loki furrows his brows, his head cocked slightly to the side.

"That's what we call ourselves," Tony says. "We're sorta like a team. 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' type thing."

Loki huffs a sarcastic laugh at that. "Yes, I've met them."

Tony laughs back, a mocking sound. "Yeah. It takes us a while to get some traction, I'll give you that, but let's do a headcount here. Your brother, the demigod—"

Loki rolls his eyes at that. No love lost between those two, clearly.

"A supersoldier," Tony continues, "a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend, a man with breathtaking anger management issues, a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss of every one of them."

Loki cracks a smile at that. "That was the plan."

"Not a great plan," Tony says. "'Cause when they come — and they will — they'll come for you."

"I have an army."

"We have a Hulk."

"I thought the beast had wandered off," Loki says, that same condescension in his voice that's really starting to get on Tony's nerves.

"You're missing the point," Tony says. "There is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's to much for us, but it's all on you. 'Cause if we can't protect the world, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."

Loki narrows his eyes. He readjusts his grip on his scepter and takes a step toward him. "How will your friends have time for me..." Another step. "When they're so busy fighting you?"

Loki holds the scepter out, and the tip taps Tony in the chest. It clinks against his arc reactor, hidden beneath his unusually thick shirt. Loki furrows his brows and taps it again, to no avail.

"This usually works," Loki says, his anger forgotten in his confusion.

Tony shrugs. "Well, performance issues, you know. It's not uncommon. One out of five—"

Loki grabs him by the neck, pulling him off the ground. As Tony flails his limbs, kicking his legs around helplessly, Loki pulls him close, his lips mere inches from the Avenger's ear.

"I have built dozens of holes in this plan," Loki hisses. "Find them."

Before Tony can even begin to question that, Loki throws him across the room, and he finds himself sprawled out on the floor.

Tony pushes himself to his feet. "JARVIS," he says breathlessly, "any time now."

Before Tony's even caught his balance, Loki grabs him by the chin. He throws Tony through the window, and it shatters around him. Tony hardly notices all the shards of glass, a little too distracted by this "falling to his death" thing.

"Deploy!" Tony yells. "Deploy!"

It takes a few seconds, but the Mark 7 grabs hold of his wrists, suiting itself around him.

And the fight's back on.